Arato hated to think about how the other AIs had backed Lacia into the corner she had been in. But, perhaps because he was too stupid to focus on the specifics of the different factions out there, he could see how what the other AIs wanted to do might also line up with what he was trying to do.
“So, since you all helped me, the rest of the ultra high-performance AIs agree with Lacia, right?” he asked.
“Depends on how your last battle goes,” one of the Koukas replied. “If we go in front of Higgins right now, we’ll just end up fighting amongst ourselves again. We’ve decided to wait and see how things play out. Don’t read too much into it.” The eyes of the destroyed units and the eyes of all the units still standing were focused on Arato.
“Though I suppose you’ve passed, for now,” the lead Kouka with the red knife said, grinning. Though Arato knew in his mind that this unit had no direct connection to the original Kouka, hearing it from her made him feel like the original was praising him, as well.
These units were just bundles of form and perception, with a facade of human words and actions laid over the top. Inside, they were completely different from the Kouka who had called Lacia ‘dear sister’. Even knowing that, Arato couldn’t help but feel some familiarity with them, due to their appearance. In his heart, the image of Kouka had been given a special meaning; it was the natural evolution of Erika Burroughs’ Hello Kitty cup.
Still, Arato could feel affection towards machines, even if they lost the illusion of humanity. He hadn’t been that way before meeting Lacia. After he’d met her and came to love her, it was as though he had stepped across a proverbial line in the sand.
“Well jeez, you’re making me blush,” Arato said. “But I think I already know how this fight is going to end.”
Since losing Lacia and being forced to view the world through his own senses again, Arato had noticed something: to him, it seemed as though the world was not divided between humans and machines, but was rather divided by the outward appearance everything had. He no longer hesitated to put his faith in something purely because of his perception of it, regardless of whether it was a living thing or not.
He and Lacia were a single unit. At that moment, he felt like he truly understood what she had meant when she’d said so. It was perfectly natural to think of a tool as being an extension of one’s own body, but something completely different to consider a tool as a comrade. Arato was standing in the middle of something that would shake the world.
“I think I’m already seeing the new world,” he said.
“If you’re seeing the future Lacia was working on, why don’t you tell us about it?” the lead Kouka asked. “With everything that’s been going on, are humans gonna have to stop being humans here in a bit?”
“We humans treat each other as special because we feel like we’re all looking at life the same,” Arato replied. “But I know humans can come to love people who only look like people.”
“I think that’ll make our world feel bigger and more full,” he added, because his feelings were linked directly with his memories of Lacia’s form. With that said, he turned his feet toward Higgins and started walking. He needed to tell Higgins that he was the man his daughter had been dating.
The mass-produced Koukas walked to the sides of the corridor, opening a path for him; it felt like they had understood him, which warmed Arato’s heart.
“Thanks,” he said simply.
“Sounds like a future where a lot of different types of folks can get along,” one of the Koukas observed. “That’d make it so the other ultra high-performance AIs wouldn’t have to worry so much about being shut down, either.” Arato had at least one supporter among the mass-produced Kouka units. That meant whichever ultra high-performance AI was mixed in with the influence the Antibody Network had over her was sympathetic to his cause. It was as if Lacia had made the connection for him from beyond the grave, which made him strangely happy.
“If you’re okay with that, I think I can count you as one of Lacia’s friends,” he replied.
The Koukas all laughed at that. “If you’re saying things like that in a situation like this, then the future Lacia was working on couldn’t have been that bad,” one of them said.
Then, with the sound of a sharp impact, the floor beneath them began to shake,
As Arato’s brain slowly worked its way through the bewildered thought that all the mass-produced Koukas, who should have been the only remaining threat, were right in front of him, the Kouka with her device in its red knife configuration spoke.
“Snowdrop reactivated,” she explained. “You’d better go finish up with Higgins fast. She bonded with Methode, so she’ll have no trouble blowing away the shutters on the Operators’ Room.”
Ryo was probably still in the Operators’ Room, Arato realized with panic, and started to run. Snowdrop took over Methode? He thought next, processing the Kouka’s words. If she can use Methode’s device, there’s no way these security partitions will stop her.
He flew into the nearest elevator connecting to the Operators’ Room. If he was on the same path as Snowdrop, he was sure all the security measures would be broken. All he needed was to get to the goal a second before she did.
After the elevator reached its lowest floor, he ran out into the elevator hall, only to find that it was completely sealed off by thick barrier walls. However, the barrier sealing the hallway that lead to the Operators’ Room had a hole in it large enough for an adult to pass through without crouching. Once he was through the hole, Arato saw that the way ahead was more of the same; thick security barriers had attempted to block the path forward, but each had been destroyed.
Snowdrop had gotten in ahead of him.
“Damn,” he cursed. “I should have known better. Isn’t there anything I can do?” There was no one to ask, but Arato felt that if he didn’t put his question into words, he would instead have been forced to accept the impossibility of his situation. With Lacia gone, Arato had to finish what they started.
From ahead, Arato could hear roaring noises that were clearly abnormal. He couldn’t help but think that, since the dawn of time, humans had been forced to rely on their own flesh when they ran out of tools. Arato ran as fast as his body could carry him down the hallway, which had developed the scent of char.
It was the first time Arato had followed Snowdrop’s trail without stepping over hundreds of her little flowers. He chose to take that as a sign that the monster was at the limits of her strength, just like him.
A horrendous noise blew past him in the hallway, seeming to shatter the air as it passed. The burning smell got stronger, and the hallway suddenly felt hotter. Arato felt like his heart would stop as the shock of the blast made everything in his head go blank. He felt panic starting to claw at his heart. To fight it, he ducked his head and ran, keeping his eyes on the floor and yelling with everything left in his lungs.